Serious question, why would a catholic school be ok with Halloween but not public school or a Jewish preschool (see other thread)?

My kids' school, Washington Grove, has a huge outdoor fall festival with 30 carnivals games, activities, pumpkin toss, face painting, healthy fall food samples, and it is all outdoors. The teachers and a few parents all band together for this awesome production. It is all day long too.

Anonymous wrote:My kids mostly went to public. Two years in a Catholic where my kid getst to celebrate all the Holidays that I like. Easter, Halloween, Xmas. It's great.

That said I have *no* problem with public not doing these Holidays. We can do them at home or we we send our kids to a religious school.

No one is "banning" Halloween. Just do it on your own time/dime and keep it out of public schools.

But Halloween isn't religious. Isn't that why people are opposed to it? It supposedly is about the "occult", which offends those who *are* religious?

Anonymous wrote:My kids mostly went to public. Two years in a Catholic where my kid getst to celebrate all the Holidays that I like. Easter, Halloween, Xmas. It's great.

That said I have *no* problem with public not doing these Holidays. We can do them at home or we we send our kids to a religious school.

No one is "banning" Halloween. Just do it on your own time/dime and keep it out of public schools.

Well, they’re banning it at school.

Sure it’s not banned in neighborhoods, but your kids spends 8 hours a day at school and your kids’ ES is usually part of their ‘community’, so it’s somewhat of a ‘ban’.

Also our school does outright ban any mention of Halloween. So the teachers can’t teach anything that is related to Halloween at all.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:why are schools banning it?

We are at an MCPS ES in Silver Spring that has banned Halloween. It’s a super diverse school and they didn’t want students to feel left out.

No celebration of Halloween at school. Teachers are not allowed to read books about Halloween. No parade. No costumes.

I agree that it’s a bummer because Halloween is kind of a fun day and they should just let the kids who don’t want to participate hang out in the Media Center or something.

Well that's the problem. The kids DO want to participate-their parents won't allow it.

Not really?

The kids aren’t complaining.

At our school, parents complained about Halloween and the Principal banned it about 6 years ago.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:why are schools banning it?

We are at an MCPS ES in Silver Spring that has banned Halloween. It’s a super diverse school and they didn’t want students to feel left out.

No celebration of Halloween at school. Teachers are not allowed to read books about Halloween. No parade. No costumes.

I agree that it’s a bummer because Halloween is kind of a fun day and they should just let the kids who don’t want to participate hang out in the Media Center or something.

Well that's the problem. The kids DO want to participate-their parents won't allow it.

My kids mostly went to public. Two years in a Catholic where my kid getst to celebrate all the Holidays that I like. Easter, Halloween, Xmas. It's great.

That said I have *no* problem with public not doing these Holidays. We can do them at home or we we send our kids to a religious school.

No one is "banning" Halloween. Just do it on your own time/dime and keep it out of public schools.

PE not PR

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:why are schools banning it?

At my child’s school it was due to parents complaining about their kids feeling left out because they don’t celebrate Halloween and other parents wouldn’t send their kids to school on Halloween.

This to me is beyond the pale.

At our school there is an alternative fall festival in one classroom for any kids who's parents won't let them participate.

Our school tried this. The PR teacher watched the kids who couldnt participate in the Halloween stuff. They stopped it thought because she had to buy the snacks and activities out of her own money because the parents never chipped in. So they cancelled everything.

Now they do trunk or treat after school hours.

Dress as a book character day.

Anonymous wrote:why are schools banning it?

We are at an MCPS ES in Silver Spring that has banned Halloween. It’s a super diverse school and they didn’t want students to feel left out.

No celebration of Halloween at school. Teachers are not allowed to read books about Halloween. No parade. No costumes.

I agree that it’s a bummer because Halloween is kind of a fun day and they should just let the kids who don’t want to participate hang out in the Media Center or something.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:why are schools banning it?

At my child’s school it was due to parents complaining about their kids feeling left out because they don’t celebrate Halloween and other parents wouldn’t send their kids to school on Halloween.

This to me is beyond the pale.

At our school there is an alternative fall festival in one classroom for any kids who's parents won't let them participate.

They use to do that, that’s how the kids who don’t celebrate felt left out.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My beautiful teacher daughter is all dressed up as Ms Frizzle today! They call it “character day”. But it’s just Halloween with a less spooky name. I’m so glad she teaches in a school that values fun and festivity!

She needs a calendar

The school picks the day, Einstein.

Anonymous wrote:My kid's public school doesn't do anything. There are a significant number of kids who don't celebrate because of their religious beliefs. The school doesn't celebrate any holidays but they have an international day (dress in traditional clothes from your country of origin and bring a food to share) two field days, a couple of family picnics. It's different than what I'm used to but my kid doesn't feel like she is missing out.

Similar at my kids' schools. Some years their classes did a "pumpkin math" activity, bascially pumpkin carving but they weighed/measured the pumpkins. My kids never seemed to feel they were missing anything. There's a huge neighborhood party at the local park on the Saturday before Halloween plus the neighborhood goes all out for trick-or-treating so they get plenty of Halloween.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:why are schools banning it?

At my child’s school it was due to parents complaining about their kids feeling left out because they don’t celebrate Halloween and other parents wouldn’t send their kids to school on Halloween.

This to me is beyond the pale.

At our school there is an alternative fall festival in one classroom for any kids who's parents won't let them participate.